Whitlock through to second round

Updated: Tuesday, 14 Aug 2012 08:52

Former PDC World Championship runner-up Simon Whitlock powered into the second round of the tournament with a commanding 3-0 win over Dennis Smith.

Whitlock, who was making his comeback after nearly two months out with a broken ankle, ended the match with a three-dart average of 105.11 - the best so far in the tournament - on the way to the 3-1 3-0 3-0 win.

The Australian won the first leg of the game before he hit back-to-back 180s at the start of the second, but he missed the seventh treble 20 to end hopes of a nine-dart finish.

Whitlock then shot a 14-dart leg to win the first set before he broke Smith's throw in the second and a 15-dart leg gave him set two.

The fifth seed hit a 125 checkout at the start of the third set before he capped the fantastic performance with a 11-dart leg, which included two 180s, before powering to the victory in the final leg.

"There was a lot to lose, but I had such huge determination to do well and I'm desperate to get my place in the Premier League."

Three-time world champion John Part also eased into the second round with a straight sets win over debutant John Henderson.

The Canadian dropped only two legs on the way to a 3-1 3-0 3-1 victory and will now face Welshman Richie Burnett for a place in the last 16.

Part won the first two legs of the match before Henderson shot a 180 on the way to claiming the third.

Scotland's Henderson hit another maximum in the fourth leg but Part won it to take the first set after he landed a double top.

He then took control of the second set when he broke Henderson's throw with a two-dart 96 finish before he piled on the pressure to take the next two legs to leave the Scot two sets down.

Part missed two doubles to win the opening leg of the third set but it did not matter as Henderson failed to find double top for a 120 checkout to allow the Canadian back in to snatch his fourth leg in a row.

Henderson hit back but Part claimed the third and fourth leg to end the contest, and afterwards spoke of his relief of overcoming a tricky hurdle.

Part said: "First Round matches in a World Championship are very hard to play in. John beat me in a Pro Tour event earlier this year, and I felt I played superbly. I knew I had to be on my guard as he can be dangerous."

Debutant Scott Rand also progressed to the second round with a 3-0 whitewash of Andy Smith.

Smith failed to win a single leg against the ruthless newcomer who maintained his accuracy to set up a match against world number 15 Colin Lloyd for a place in the third round.

Rand, a lorry driver by trade, started confidently as he twice broke Smith's serve to take the first set before he swept him aside with equal ease in the second.

Smith struggled to hit his doubles and squandered four darts to take his first leg of the match at the start of the third set which allowed Rand to step in and hit double 16.

The 36-year-old then shot 87 to win the second leg before he completed the rout with an impressive 13-dart-finish to close out the match.

"I'm here to win this Championship, not make up the numbers," Rand told www.pdc.tv.

"I take the game seriously and want to make darts my full-time occupation."

In the final match of the night, Devon Petersen twice came from a set down and held his nerve in the decider to complete a 3-2 (0-3 3-2 2-3 3-1 4-2) victory over Steve Brown.